Starting device.



IQ D. KNEEDLER.

STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.20, 1912.

Patented 0015.6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR Need QT W1 TNESSES Aflomey;

J. D. KNEEDLER.

STARTING DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED APLZO, 1912.

Patented Oct; 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. [NVENTOR J b-mfid kir Af/arney UNITED STATES, PATENT orrIoE.

JOHN D. KNEEDLER, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO COUCH,

OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

STARTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 20, 1 912.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914. Serial 1i o. 692,985.

' To all whom it may concern:

Sioux City, in the county of \Voodbury and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting Devices; and I do hereby declare the-following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and luse the same.

This invention relates to power transmis sion gearing, and it more particularly relates to a shiftable gear mechanism adapted to be used in connection with an engine, motor or other source of motive power; and still more particularlv to be used in connection with an automobile or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character-which is adapted to be thrown in and out of mesh optionally and alternately, with the main driving gear of an engine or the like. and adapted to transmit the power thereof to an all pump,

whereby compresssed air maybe stored in a tank for operating an air motor and there- -by starting the engine and for auxiliating the power thereof, when needed.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a device of this character, means for interrupting communication betwee l the engine and the pump, while the air motor remains in connuunication, or in cooperative relation, with the engine.

\Vith these objects in view, the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement and combination of parts of a device of the character specified, which will be hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed. v

In. the accompanying drawings which form a part. of this application, Figure 1 shows, somewhat diagrammatically, a group ofengme cylinders, an air pump, and an air tank, having my improved power transmission? gearing applied in connection therewith, certain parts of the latter being in section." Fig. 2 is an elevation view 0 the power transmission device,-in connection with tl e engine cylinders and the air pump illustra ed; in Fig. 1,, and, Fig.3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, several of the shiftable elements thereof being shown in shifted relation. In these. drawings, in which similar refer.- ence characters designate corresponding parts' throughout the several views, the

engine cylindersof an automobile are designated 5, the crank shaft or engine shaft being represented by the numeral 6 and carrylng a main vdriver or toothed gear wheel 7. The dash board of an automobile is represented by the nume'ral 8, and to this dash board is secured an on motor housing 9, within which the blades 10 of the air.

motor, secured to a hub 11 of the air motor are adapted to rotate; said-hub being loosely seated upon a shaft or spindle 12, a bearing of which is fornicdat 13, in the motor casing; the other bearing 14 being adapted for connection with the automobile in any proper way. The hub 11 has an extension 15, to which is secured a friction cone 16.]

The spindle 12'has a friction cup or friction clutch member 17 secured thereto, and adapted to be thro'wn into and out of cooperative relation with the friction cone 16, said cone and cup constituting a friction clutch.

Secured to the outside of the dash board, by any proper means, is a guide chamber 18, preferably of rectangular contour and having a rectangular aperture extending there through, said guide chamber inclosing the outer end of the spindle 12, which .is provided with a flanged end 19. The spindle 12 is adapted to be shifted in the direction of its axis, and for the purpose of shifting said shaft, I have provided a hand-wheel or handle 20 having a shank 21 secured thereto, the inner end of said shank being provided with flange-engaging claws, hooks or flanges -22, which loosely engage the flange 19 of the spindle 12; so that the spindle may rotate within the flange-engaging end of the shank and, that, by moving the shank longitudinally, the spindle may be moved longitudinally thereby. The shank 21 is provided with radial apertures 23, adapted for engagement with a keeper 24, said keeper being pivoted at 25 to the guide chamber 18 and having a down turned end adapted to that the keeper 24 engages the left-liancl or inner aperture 23, the cupped clutch member- 17 wi1l, be broliglit into contact with the cone clutch inember 16, thereby coupling the spindle 12 into cooperative relation wit air, motor.

' Themir motor is adapted: to be actuated by a current ofr'compress'ed air from the compressed-ah pipe 26, said pipe corhmuni: eating with thGCOIIlPIQSSGd-filftfi-Ilk 27 the latter being' provided with the 'usualpres- .sure gage 28, avalve 29 being rovided in .the pipe 26 for-establishing an interrupting communication between the air tank and the air motor. An air pump-30, communi-fcates with the air tank 27 through the medium of a supply pipe '31-, the latter'being provided witha check-valve 32,.for-pnevent-l ing back pressure of air .from'the tank to the pump. The pump 30' may be bfxordr. nary construction, being provided with a pistonrod 33 and connecting rod 34;v the latter being pivotally connected at 35 to a.

gear wheel 36, adapted to 'be appropriately and conveniently mounted through the medium of-a bearing 37 W A-longitudinally shiftable gear member, comprising gear wheels 38 and 39 and a hollow cylindrical element 40, is rotatably mounted upon the spindle 12 and-adapted to be moved longitudinally thereof, and also tobe moved therewith by means of the stud I; and thereby adapted to beqthrown' alter- ,nately and'optionally into and out of mesh with the main driver 7 i and the gear wheel 36,. while' also being adapted to be thrown out of nesh with the gear wheel 36 without being out of. mesh with, the,- ;main driver,

and these several alternative relations are important-for the. following reasons, viz;

. -Let'it be assumed that thisidevice is applied- .1 mg v I I 3.9.intqinesli'with'the 'gear wheel 7, and the to,an automobile, and that theautomobile I is traveling: over a. hilly road ;-when the aptomobile is traveling j down hill, the engmes will be thrown out of operation by; the

pperatorgthe gear 38 isthrown into mesh with the .fgear36 by shifting the spindle .12 Lloniitiidinally 1( as explained. in the foregowhereupon instead' of :applying the e the bperato'rj thi'ows the gear wheel.

; la tter rotated bythe travel. or the 'auton'i bile, .adtuates the gear wheels 39, 38' and;

ereby aetuates the "pump 30', thereby storm sand compressing air in the tank ,7 27 which said compressed-air; is held in.

reserve. Itfwill seen" .thatjthe' resistance 4 or back ressure of the "air, being compressed bythe pump, retards the action of the gear wheels 36, 38 and 39, thereby retardin the a ction of thelmiain driver, hence operatin "as a brake, for retarding the motion oft e automobile. It is therefore ob- 'vious, that the energy, whichwould otherwisebe lost, is conserved and stored within the compressed air tank 27. Now, let it be assumed that the automobile has started up a steepliill, and therefore, the engine is in- I capable of propelling the automobile at full speed; it will be seen that by throwing the" gears 36 and 38 out of mesh, and opening the valve 29, the air from the pipe -26 will act upon the paddles or blades 10, causing the hub 11 and cone 16 to rotate with thespindle 12. It will be seen, that the gear Wheels 7 and 39 still being in mesh, as in Fig. 3, the engine or engines will continue to actuate the spindle 12 after the pumping mechanism has been disconnected, and so,

the engine and air-motor operate in unison,

or in other Words, the air motorauxiliates the action of the engine, through the medium of the spindle 12 and the gear wheels- 39 and 7.

When the automobile is traveling on a perfectly or practically level road, it may be desirable to disontinue'or eliminate the use of the pump and air motor, :and when such is the case, the spindle12andthe elements fixed-thereto maybe moved into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2.. When moved into this dottedline position, the longitudinally shiftable gear member is moved therewith into' its dotted line position, and re- .tainedztherein by. means of the tooth 41, of .a spring catch or-detent 42, secured ,to the bearing 14; said spring catch engaging the flange 43, of the shiftable, gear member.

This shiftable gear memberis provided with a longitudinally and axially parallel slot 44,

forthe reception of. pin or stud 45, fixedly;

secured to the spindle; .Thespindle and slottedgear, member are therefore held in ,fixed rotary relation while being'in movable relation longitudinally or axially. It -;will

be seen, therefore, that ,when it is desired to arrange the elements in the position shown in Fig. 3,.the spindle 12 mustsfirst be moved leftward until the flange 43 is engaged by the tooth .41. ofthedetent 42*, the stud 45 while the flange 43 is engaged: by the, tooth 41, the spindle 12 is drawn rightward until the clutch memberslG and 17 ,are engaged.

& When it is desiredto throw the gear wheel 39Iout of mesh with the. gear "wheel'T, the

clutch member 17 is movedleftward into the dotted line position shown in" Fig. 2, the

contacting the left end wall of the aperture 44,- the clutch member 1 7 being then ipgthe dotted line position shown in Fig.3, and

flange 43 then being engaged by the tooth wheels 38 and 39 are outof mesh with the gears 36 and 7 respectively, the spindle '12 may be actuated independently of the engine 41." It will be seen that, while the gear or of the air pump, and therefore, it is quite possible to connect the spindle 12 with a machine tool (not shown) whereby the automobile may be repaired, or with a'lifting jack or the like (not shown) whereby the ma- China may be ra sed, for convenience in repairing. It is tllSO quite possible to connect air pipes other than the pipe 26 with the tank 27 forpumping up apneumatie tire (not shown). The device may be employed as a starter for the engine, as follows:

Assuming that the automobile has been stopped, and that the engine has ceased to operate, being thrown out of gear with the automobile, and that a supply of compressed air has previously been pumped into the reservoir 27, as described, it is only necessary to move the clutch members 16 and 17 into engagement, while thegearwheels 7 and 39 are in mesh, and then open the valve 29, so that the air motor will import motion to the main driver '7 through the medium of thespindle IQ-and gear wheel 39. The engine having thus been started, the several elements of my improved transmission gear mechanism may be moved into whatever position is required by the attending.circumstances. whereupon the engine may be tbrowii'into mesh with the driving gear of theautomohile, (not shown) in the usual manner;-

When it is -;dcsircd to release the collar 43 from the-teeth of the detent t2, the free end of said 'jdeteutmay he raised out of en- Itis obviously quite possible and practical to provide a tank of sutlicient strength and capaclty for storing a. large amount of air unt er such pressure that the automolnle may be propelled thereby, independently of the engine.'1n case the latter becomes broken or otherwise disqualified for service; so that the device is not only applicable as a startmg and auxilialing means, but is also applicable as an emergency motor, for propelling the automobile.

It will be seen that I have provided a device of. this character which is fully capable of attaining the foregoing objects,

and in a thoroughly practical and cllicient manner.

I do not limit my invention to the exactdetails of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as illustrated and described in the foregoing, but my invention engaged by the first ,said clutch member when the spindle is reciproeated.

2. In a starting device a driver member, a pump, a fluid m'otor,'a spindle adapted to be t'eclprocated, a slidable gear member reciprocable with said spindle and adapted to be alternately moved into and out of operative relation with said pump, means for retaining the slidahle gear member in either of several optionatand alternate positions' while the spindle is being reciprocated relative thereto, and means for alternately throwing the'spindle into and outof op-- crativo relation with the. fluid motor while the slidable gear mechanism is in either of two alternative positions.

3. In a starting device. a driver a pump, a fluid motor. a spindle adapted to beg rcciprocated, a slidable gear member keyed on said spindleand having limited longitudinal movement relative thereto and :uh'lptedtto be reeiprocated with thespindle, said slidable gear member being also ada )ted! to be moved into and out of operative relation with saidpump, means fOP'X'Qf-tlilliug'the slidable gear member against longitudinal movement while the said spindle is iii either of several optional and alternative positions and while the latter is being re-' ciprocated, and means for alternately throwing the spindle into and out of operative {relation with the fluid motor while the slidable gear mechanism is in -either of two alternative positions.

member,

-4. in a starting device, a driver member, 4

a fluid motor. a spindle, a slidable-gear member keyed to said spindle undmovable longitudinally relative to the latter, means for-nornmlly tending to move said gear member into operative position, means to lock said gear member in either of several optional and alternative positions while the spindle is being reeiprocated relative thereto," and means for alternately throwing the spindle into and out of operative relation with the fluid motor while the slidable gear mechanism is in either of two alternative positions.

-5. In a. starting device, a driver member, a pump, a fluid motor, a spindle, a slidable lgear member keyed to said spindle, movable iengitmlinally relative to the latter and adapted to be moved into and out gimperative relation with said pump, means for normally tending to move said gear member .into operative position, means tolock said gear member in either'oftseveral optional and alternate positions while the I "spindleis Being feciprocgitedsrelative there-, 't0;-' and means fdf alternately throwing the spindle intowmd out of operative relation with the fluidmo't-or while the. s1idah1e gear mechanism is in either of two alternati "positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed n name to this specification in the presence two subscribing witnesses.

v 'JQHN'DJKN-EEDLEB.

Witnesses:

Mrs. J 01m 0. Human CHAS GRAHAM. 

